BBC WM

From Free net encyclopedia

BBC WM is the BBC Local Radio service for the West Midlands and South Staffordshire, and Warwickshire operated by BBC Birmingham. Launched on November 7, 1970 as BBC Birmingham, it currently broadcasts from central Birmingham on 95.6 FM, DAB and on the internet.

In the 1990s, as a BBC economy measure, the station took over BBC CWR (broadcasting to Coventry and Warwickshire). More recently, separate news bulletins for the Coventry and Warwickshire area, as well as a separate breakfast and afternoon programmes, returned to the CWR frequencies, and on 3 September 2005 CWR (reverting to its original title of BBC Coventry & Warwickshire) resumed the production and transmission of continuous local programming between 5.00 and 22.00 each weekday (6.00 - 18.00 at weekends).

Until 2004, BBC WM broadcast from the Pebble Mill studios, also in Birmingham.

On 4 July, 2004, the station moved to the new the offices of BBC Birmingham, located in The Mailbox. Over the second half of 2004, all the departments based at Pebble Mill moved to the Mailbox. BBC WM was one of the first to move, with local television news and BBC Radio 4 drama The Archers among the last.

The first presenter to officially broadcast from the new studios was BBC WM stalwart Ed Doolan. Other broadcasters include Les Ross and Tony Butler.

The new local radio facilities include two broadcast studios; a talk studio; an operations and production area; and a studio shared with the BBC Asian Network.

The BBC already streams its national radio services on the internet and is committed to extending this to its English local radio services. On 22 October, 2004, it began streaming BBC WM.

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